Innovative valorization of naturally abundant and renewable lignocellulosic biomass is of great importance in the pursuit of a sustainable future and biobased economy. Ionic liquids (ILs) as an important kind of green solvents and functional fluids have attracted significant attention for the catalytic transformation of lignocellulosic feedstocks into a diverse range of products. Taking advantage of some unique properties of ILs with different functions, the catalytic transformation processes can be carried out more efficiently and potentially with lower environmental impacts. Also, a new product portfolio may be derived from catalytic systems with ILs as media. This review focuses on the catalytic chemical conversion of lignocellulose and its primary ingredients (i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) into value-added chemicals and fuel products using ILs as the reaction media. An outlook is provided at the end of this review to highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with this interes...

Catalytic Transformation of Lignocellulose into Chemicals and Fuel Products in Ionic Liquids

Carbon dioxide offers an accessible, cheap and renewable carbon feedstock for synthesis. Current interest in the area of carbon dioxide valorisation aims at new, emerging technologies that are able to provide new opportunities to turn a waste into value. Polymers are among the most widely produced chemicals in the world greatly affecting the quality of life. However, there are growing concerns about the lack of reuse of the majority of the consumer plastics and their after-life disposal resulting in an increasing demand for sustainable alternatives. New monomers and polymers that can address these issues are therefore warranted, and merging polymer synthesis with the recycling of carbon dioxide offers a tangible route to transition towards a circular economy. Here, an overview of the most relevant and recent approaches to CO2-based monomers and polymers are highlighted with particular emphasis on the transformation routes used and their involved manifolds.

Advances in the use of CO2 as a renewable feedstock for the synthesis of polymers

Silicon has attracted ever-increasing attention as a high-capacity anode material in Li-ion batteries owing to its extremely high theoretical capacity. However, practical application of silicon anodes is seriously hindered by its fast capacity fading as a result of huge volume changes during the charge/discharge process. Here, an interpenetrated gel polymer binder for high-performance silicon anodes is created through in-situ crosslinking of water-soluble poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) precursors. This gel polymer binder with deformable polymer network and strong adhesion on silicon particles can effectively accommodate the large volume change of silicon anodes upon lithiation/delithiation, leading to an excellent cycling stability and high Coulombic efficiency even at high current densities. Moreover, high areal capacity of ∼4.3 mAh/cm2 is achieved based on the silicon anode using the gel PAA–PVA polymer binder with a high mass loading. In view of simplicity in using the water soluble gel polymer binder, it is believed that this novel binder has a great potential to be used for high capacity silicon anodes in next generation Li-ion batteries, as well as for other electrode materials with large volume change during cycling.

Interpenetrated Gel Polymer Binder for High Performance Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

State of the art and perspectives in catalytic processes for CO2 conversion into chemicals and fuels: The distinctive contribution of chemical catalysis and biotechnology

A synoptic review of MoS2: Synthesis to applications

Amberlyst 15 as a new and reusable catalyst for the conversion of cellulose into cellulose acetate.

Hydrolysis of cellulose catalyzed by sulfonated poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) in the ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide

A magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2–ZnBr2 catalyst was prepared by supporting ZnBr2 on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 and used as a recoverable catalyst for the direct synthesis of diphenyl carbonate (DPC) from CO2 and phenol in the presence of carbon tetrachloride. The as-prepared catalyst was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), a X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and BET. Zn loading in the supported catalyst and leaching during the reaction process were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). It was found that Fe3O4@SiO2–ZnBr2 showed higher catalytic activity than homogenous ZnCl2 and ZnI2 as well as homogenous ZnBr2. With this new catalyst under optimized conditions, a yield of DPC at 28.1% was obtained. The heterogeneous catalyst Fe3O4@SiO2–ZnBr2 can also be recovered by a permanent magnet after the reaction and reused up to 4 times without noticeable deactivation.

ZnBr2 supported on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 for conversion of CO2 to diphenyl carbonate

ZnBr2 supported on magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 coated by MCM-41 (Fe3O4@MCM-41/ZnBr2) was prepared and characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The as-prepared samples were used as a recyclable catalyst for solvent-free synthesis of styrene carbonate (SC) from styrene oxide (SO) and carbonate dioxide (CO2). The results showed that Fe3O4@MCM-41/ZnBr2 exhibited similar catalytic activity to homologous ZnBr2. It was found that the reaction depended on the reaction conditions in terms of the yield of SC. The yield of SC at 81.5% was obtained with 8 MPa CO2 pressure at 90 °C for 3 h. The supported catalyst Fe3O4@MCM-41/ZnBr2 can be easily recovered by a permanent magnet after the reaction and reused without further treatment. No significant change in the structure and loss in activity were observed. The yield of SC changed in a small range from 79.2 to 82.6% during 5 cycles.

Synthesis of styrene carbonate from styrene oxide and CO2 over ZnBr2 supported on MCM-41—Coated magnetic Fe3O4

SiO2@NiO core–shell nanocomposites of ca. 80 nm in diameter with a thin NiO shell were assembled via a facile online deposition of NiO and investigated as an anode for lithium ion batteries. The results indicated that the specific discharge capacity of the obtained SiO2@NiO core–shell nanocomposite electrode still retains 585 mA h g−1 at a discharge current density of 100 mA g−1 after 60 cycles and presents a coulombic efficiency of almost 100%, exhibiting good cycling stability and excellent rate capability after the first few cycles. This might be accounted for by the reversible lithiation/delithiation of the product Si due to the irreversible lithiation of SiO2 while the irreversible lithiation of NiO to produce metal Ni nanoparticles is responsible for the activation of SiO2, which is demonstrated by comparing the cyclic voltammetries (CVs) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) of SiO2, NiO and SiO2@NiO electrodes.

Guangsen Song

Papers

Amberlyst 15 as a new and reusable catalyst for the conversion of cellulose into cellulose acetate.

Hydrolysis of cellulose catalyzed by sulfonated poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) in the ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide

ZnBr2 supported on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 for conversion of CO2 to diphenyl carbonate

Synthesis of styrene carbonate from styrene oxide and CO2 over ZnBr2 supported on MCM-41—Coated magnetic Fe3O4

SiO2@NiO core–shell nanocomposites as high performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries